Sheet-feeding mechanism



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Patented June 28, 1927.

UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL SIEG, F BROOKLAWN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO SAMUEL M. LANGSTON GOM- PAN Y, 01 CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

sneer- EEDING mncinmsm.

Application filed April 23, 1926. Serial No. 104,016.

This invention relates to mechanism for feeding sheetmaterial to printing presses, slotters, scoring mechanism, orany kind of machine or apparatus adapted to 6 act upon the sheets. The invention relates to that type of" mechanism in which the sheet material is supported in a stack from the bottom of which the sheets are withdrawn in succession.

- The sheet material for which this type of mechanism is particularly adapted is usually comparatively' stifi, and of material thickness, so that the feed mechanism may engage with the rear edge of the lowermost sheet and pull it from beneath the stack.

The lowermost sheet during the removal,

sustains the weight of all of the sheets thereabove, and therefore there is considerable friction between the under surface of the lower sheet and the table or other support,

and there is also considerable friction between the upper surface of the lower sheet and the next sheet thereabove. If the stack be of considerable height, and therefore of considerable Weight, the edge of the sheet may be mutilated by the sheet advancing mechanism, .due to the application of sufiicient pressure on the edge to overcome the friction on the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet.

One of the main objects of my invention is to rovide a feeding mechanism in which this friction is materially reduced, and in which the feeding mechanism more efi'ectively engages with the sheet to advance it.

To secure this object I provide reciprocating supporting mechanism which sustains in whole or in part the weight of the stack and advances with the lower sheet during a portion of the movement of the latter from beneath the stack. I

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved form of hopper wall or side support for the stack of sheets, to better insure the proper positioning of the sheets and to take care of sheets of various lengths.

A further object of my invention is to provide improved mechanism for insuring the proper delivery of the sheets to the outlet from beneath the front wall of the hopper.

Other important features and objects of my improved construction will be pointed out hereinafter, or will be apparent from a other consideration of the specific construction heremafter" described.

\ In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. IS a top plan view of a portion of a machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 1s a central longitudinal section.

Fig. 3 1s a view similar to a portion of F1g. 2, but on a larger scale.

Flg. 4 1s a transverse section on the line 14: of Fig. 1, and i Fig. 5 is a section similar to a portion of Fig. 2 but on a larger scale, said section being taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1. I

In the machine illustrated there'is provrded a table or stack support 10 provided w1th means for preventing lateral movement of one sheet in respect to another in the stack, but permitting the'sliding of the bottom sheet from beneath the stack. Such means 1n effect forms a hopper and includes a pair of side Walls 11, each having a base or flange portion 12 which may be guided along a transverse slot 13 in the table, and clamped in position in any suitable manner, as for instance by clamping screws 14.

Preferably these side Walls 11 have extens1ons 15 pro ecting rearwardly and detach-' ably secured in place by clamping screws 16 or any other suitable means. A plurality of these extensions may be provided and the effective length of the side wall of the hoper thus varied in accordance with the ength of the sheets-to be fed, so as to properl guide the sheets but at the same time re ace the side friction.

The back wall of the hopper is formed by a pair of brackets 17 which are independently adjustable along the length of the table, and guided in slots 18. They may be clamped in place by clamping screws 19 or in any other suitable manner.

The front wall of the hopper is preferably materlally a vertical bar or guide 20 which is secured to a bracket 21, the latter being carried by a transverse supporting bar 22. There may be a plurality of these bars or guides 20 if desired, and they may be spaced at an suitable distance apart along the length 0 the supporting bar 22. Each bar or guide 20 is so supported that its lower end is at a distance above the table 10 greater than the thickness of one sheet, and less than the thickness of two sheets, so that only a single sheet at a time may be moved the table 10 and insure the passage of the lowermost sheet beneath the uide's 20.

As one important feature 0 my invention I provide reciprocating means of such character that it will support the major portion of the weight of the stack out of direct contact with the table or support, so that the friction between the lower sheet and the table is entirely removed or very materially reduced. This mechanism as illustrated, includes a reciprocatory bar 24 movable back and forth in a slot 25, and having one or more transversely extendin bars 26 secured thereto. For long sheets there are preferably employed a plurality of these bars 26, there being three illustrated in the drawing and secured to the bar 24 at such distances apart as to sustain all or substantially all of the weight of the stack. 4

The bar 24 also has secured thereto means for engaging with the rear edge of the lowermost sheet to advance it from beneath the stack as the bar is reciproca'ted. This means may be constructed substantially as shown in the patent to Samuel M. Langston, 1,150,210, issued August 17th, 1915. As illustrated, it includes a plate or slide 27- secured to the bar 24 and having hook-shaped members 28 carried thereby. These members 28 are preferably leaf springs secured to the slide 27 at the front edge of the latter, and provided with hooks or upturned flanges 29 at their rear ends. As the slide moves rearwardly to the proper point where the hooks or shoulders 29 pass from beneath the stack, the resiliency of the springs 28 will lift the hooks or shoulders so that when the slide moves toward the delivery endof the machine the hooks or shoulders will properly enga e the rear edge of the lowermost sheet an cause it to advance with the slide.

As the transverse bars 26 and. the slide 27 are all connected to the bar 24, it will be noted that during the advancement of the bar toward the delivery end of the machine the lowermost sheet is held out of engagement with the table 10 or at least the weight of the stack is partly supported by the bars 26, and as they move with the sheet and at the same speed, there will. be little or no friction between the lower sheet and the table. Thus the feed mechanism has to overcome only the friction between the upper surface of the sheet and the next sheet stack and the feed mechanism hereinbefore described is returned to initial position preparatory to feed the next succeeding sheet.

. The means for pulling the sheet out after it has been started is illustrated as a pair of feed rolls 30 spaced comparatively close to the front wall of the hopper. These feed rolls may be roughened if desired to give more effective gripping action on the sheets. When the bar 24 is moved rearwardly to the limiting extent it will be noted that the first bar 26 is spaced to a considerable distance from the front wall of the hopper. Thus the weight 23 may bend the sheets down in case the are comparatively stiff, and the front e ge of the stack will rest directly upon the table and thelowermost sheet may Ease beneath the guide 20. The bar 24 may ave a comparatively short range of move ment. In fact, it is only necessary to advance the sheet a suflicient distance for the front edge thereof to be properly engaged by the feed rollers 30. Thus the front bar 26 does not come sufficiently close to the front edge of the hopper to interfere with the proper feeding of the sheet.

Any suitable means may be employed for reciprocating the bar 24. As shown, there is a rock shaft 31 having an arm 32 con- -nected by a link 33 to a depending bracket 34 which is secured to the lower side of the bar 24. The rock shaft may oscillate continuously or intermittently, but its cycle of movement should be such as to start the advancingof one sheet shortly after the rear edge of the preceding sheet has passed from beneath the hopper. The mechanism for operating the rock shaft may be interconnected with that for operating the feed rolls 30 so as to give the proper tlming.

For feeding of long sheets, the main frame of the machine may have a table extension 35 which may be supported in part by an auxiliary frame 36 and may be vertically adjusted in respect thereto so as to be brought into proper alignment with the main frame by means of an adjustable bracket 37.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A sheet feeding mechanism including a stack support, a reciprocatory member movable along said support and having a transverse bar for engaging with the lowermost sheet intermediate of the ends of the latter,

and a part for engagement with the rear edge of the lowermost sheet whereby during the movement of said member in one direction the sheet is advanced and the weight of the stack is in part supported by the member.

2. A sheet feeding mechanism including a stack support, a bar movable back and forth in the direction of feeding movement of the sheets, a member secured to said bar for engaging with the rear edge of the lowermost sheet to advance the latter, and a trans versely extending member secured to said bar for engaging with the under surface of the lowermost sheet intermediate of the ends of the latter.

3. A sheet feeding mechanism including a stack support, a guide spaced therefrom to permit the passage of the lowermost sheet beneath said guide, a weight for engaging with the top of the stack at the front end of the latter for holding the under surface of the lowermost sheet in engagement with the support, and a reciprocatory member having a portion for holding the intermediate part of the sheet out of engagement with said support, and a portion for engaging with the rear. edge of the sheet to advance the latter.

4. A sheet feeding mechanism including a stack support, a reciprocatory bar, a plurality of transverse] extending bars secured thereto and adapte to support in part the weight of the stack, and means connected to said first mentioned bar for advancing the lowermost sheet during a movement of said bar in one direction.

5. A sheet feeding mechanism including a support, a pair of side walls adjustable toward and from each other, detachable extensions secured to said side walls, a bar movable back and forth between said side walls and a plurality of transversely extending bars secured to said first mentioned bar and movable with the latter and with the lowermost sheet during a portion of the feeding movement of the latter from beneath the stack.

6. A sheet feeding mechanism including a stack support, a pair of spaced side walls, a front wall in the form of a guide spaced above said stack support, and a reciprocatory sheet carrier movable along said stack.

support and including transversely disposed members for sustaining the major portion of the weight of the stack.

7. A sheet feeding mechanism including a stack support, a pair of spaced side walls, a front wall in the form of a guide spaced above said stack support, and a reciprocatory sheet carrier movable along said stack support and including a bar movable back and forth in the direction of feedin movement of the sheet, and a pluralit o spaced transversely extending bars an connected to said first mentioned bar.

8; A sheet feeding mechanism including a stack support, a pair of spaced side walls, a front wall in the form of a guide spaced above said stack support, a reciprocatory sheet carrier movable along said stack support and including transversely disposed members for sustaining the major portion of the weight of the stack, and means connected to said carrier for engaging with the rear edge of the lowermost sheet to insure movement of said sheet with said carrier during the movement of the latter in one direction.

9. A sheet feeding mechanism including a stack support, a pair of spaced side walls, a front wall in the form of a guide spaced above said stack support, a reciprocatory sheet carrier movable along said stack support and including transversely disposed members for sustaining the major portion of the weight of the stack, and a side connected to said carrier and having yielding members presenting shoulders for engaging with the rear edge of the lowermost sheet during the feeding movement.

- Signed at Camden in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey this 19th day of April A. D. 1926.

KARL SIEG. 

